Egypt

Quartet ends boycott of Qatar

Ahram Weekly and Ahram Online (Excerpt, read on Quartet ends boycott of Qatar)

Egypt, Saudi Arabic, the UAE, and Bahrain agreed to restore full diplomatic ties with Doha at the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council on Tuesday

 

The embrace that Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman gave Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the latter’s arrival in Saudi Arabia after three and a half years of rupture between the two countries signalled the beginning of a resolution to the Gulf crisis. It was essentially a settlement between Riyadh and Doha. Similarly affectionate scenes were noticeably absent during the actual summit.

The level of representation spoke volumes about the council meeting which came about as the result of a US-backed initiative led by Kuwait and Oman. Cairo was represented by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri who expressed his gratitude to the Kuwaiti Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah for making the summit possible. According to informed Egyptian sources, a number of convergent interests compelled the participants to overcome the rupture even if some issues remain pending. One point of convergence is Washington. The Saudi crown prince and Kuwaiti emir, in their speeches, stressed the importance of the American role in enabling the reconciliation.  

The US delegation was headed by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to President Donald Trump who was keen to see the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit convene and conclude the reconciliation, if only formally, so that his administration could take credit for this development before his departure from the White House on 20 January. Some reports in the US media referred to this as a “tidying up of the desk”.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt had listed 13 conditions for ending their boycott of Qatar, though at the time there was no indication whether or not these conditions had to be met in advance of an ending of the boycott. There were no indicators in advance of how each Quartet member stood with respect to the need for Doha to meet them in advance. According to Egyptian sources, Cairo had lodged its conditions with Kuwait ahead of the meeting, and indicated that it would follow the Saudi lead in opening its airspace to Qatar if these conditions were met. In this context, the reopening of Saudi airspace to Qatar on the eve of the summit spoke volumes.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez, in an official statement released soon after the summit commenced on Tuesday, underscored Egypt’s determination to support “sincere efforts to preserve the unity of Arab ranks and to reach a reconciliation that will reinvigorate the Arab house and create a space for constructive cooperation and the preservation of the interests of all parties”. Hafez also stressed the need for “good faith in order to achieve a genuine reconciliation that revives the special qualities of Arab relations, stimulates solidarity and the preservation of joint interests, enshrines the commitment to non-intervention in the domestic affairs of others, combats threats to the security and stability of Arab nations and peoples, and safeguards Arab national security.”

via english.ahram.org.eg

Egypt’s central bank to provide EGP 15 bln in loans for converting vehicles to natural gas

Ahram Online, by Doaa A. Moneim

The headquarters of Egypt's Central Bank are seen in downtown Cairo (Reuters)

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has launched an initiative through which EGP 15 billion will be allocated for use as loans extended to individuals looking to convert their vehicles from running on fossil fuel to natural gas.

According to a letter the CBE sent to all banks on Monday, the loans will be subject to an interest rate of 3 percent with repayment maturity ranging from seven to 10 years.

Egypt will host on Monday the first technology exhibition for converting and replacing old cars with new ones that run on natural gas, which is expected to be attended by major auto companies that produce natural gas-powered vehicles inside the country, as well as agents and importers of cars with bi-fuel systems – running on gasoline and natural gas – in addition to a number of automotive feeding industry companies.

In October, the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources announced that Egypt aims to convert 400,000 vehicles to run on natural gas over three years through soft loans from banks and lending institutions.

Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla said that there are plans to expand in the usage of compressed natural gas, and that the number of converted cars reached 43,000 cars during 2019-2020.

In July, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi launched an initiative aimed at increasing dependence on natural gas instead of fossil fuel, which is in line with Egypt’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) agenda.

President El-Sisi also instructed all concerned bodies to give an appropriate material incentive to the individuals who own old cars to replace them with new ones that run on natural gas.

The president also ordered organising an exhibition to support the national program for the use of natural gas vehicles.

via english.ahram.org.eg

Egypt licenses China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use: health minister

Xinhua

CAIRO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Saturday that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm has been officially licensed for emergency use in Egypt.

"Tomorrow, the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) will send us the official license early in the morning, which it has already issued today," Zayed told a local TV show.

Egypt received the first batch of Sinopharm vaccines on Dec. 10. The minister said that the batch went through four tests conducted by the EDA and they all proved the safety of the vaccine.

Zayed said that Egypt will receive the second shipment of COVID-19 vaccines within days, which are expected to be provided to citizens later in January.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Egypt and China have been cooperating closely in the fight against the pandemic through medical aid and expertise exchanges.

To date, Egypt has confirmed 140,878 COVID-19 cases with 7,741 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

via www.xinhuanet.com

Video: Sherine Abdel Wahab, Tourism Ministry launches song for the New Year’s

Egypt Independent 

To help usher in hope and optimism for the new year 2021, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Thursday that it has launched a song by Sherine Abdel Wahab entitled “Egypt, the land of beauty”.

The song wishes both the Egyptian people and the world a happy new year, while displaying the beauty of Egypt and its tourist attractions, inviting everyone to come and visit.

Highlighting charming turquoise beaches, unparalleled picturesque scenes of nature, warm sun and Egypt’s acclaimed archaeological sights, this song sends a message of hope and love for life, a statement by the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said.

The song coincides with the launch of the “Spend winter in Egypt” initiative promoting tourism to Egypt with the start of the winter season.

The ministry purchased advertising space on Egyptian social media platforms and in the main Arab and international markets exporting tourism to Egypt.

At the end of January 2021, the ministry will contract with one of the major specialized international offices to work out a media strategy to promote and revitalize Egyptian tourism in preparation to launching an international promotional campaign lasting for three years starting July.

A famous TV host and singer, Sherine was also a judge on MBC’s The Voice Ahla Sawt, and is considered to be one of Egypt’s most distinctive modern singers.